Latch.



JOHN WILSON PETTIJOHN, OF MONTESANO, WASHINGTON LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application ned April 25, 1906. Serial No. 313.611.

To ct r11/tom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN WILSON PETTI- JOHN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Montesano, in the county of Ohehalis and State ofVashington, have invented a new I and useful Latch, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in latches for doors and gates.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction oflatches for doors an gates, and to rovide a simple, inexpensive andel'licient Ilatch adapted for use on sliding and swinging doors andgates, and capable of reversal to enable it to be readily applied toright and left hand doors and gates, and adapted to effectually animalfrom unlocking it and opening the door or gate to which it is applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch, which will notbe rendered ineffective and inoperative by any sagging of a door orgate.

Another obj ect of the invention is to provide a latch, having a haspmember, adapted to receive a padlock and capable, when disengaged fromthe keeper of the latch of being arranged outof the way so that anyobject passing through the door or gateeway will not come in contactwith the said hasp member. n

lith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts, hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes inthe form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within thescope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing-Figure l is a perspective view of a latch constructed inaccordance with this invention, and illustrating the position of theparts when locked. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, showing the haspmember disengaged from the keeper.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding arts throughout theseveral figures of the rawing.

l designates a has member, consisting of a iece of rod meta which isbent or partia ly coiled at one end to provide'an eye 2, and whichhasitsgotherendibentlbackward an elongated loop 3. The loop 3 is arrangedin a plane at right angles to the plane of the eye, and the plane of theopening of the yloop 3 intersects the plane of the opening of the eye 2,which forms an engaging head. The loop 3 of the hasp member l is linkedinto a vertical loop of an attachment member 4, which consists of anangle plate or piece and which is L-shaped in cross section. Theattachment member consists of an attachment flange or portion, and anoutwardly extending stop flange or portion. The inner attachment flangeor portion is secured in place by means of a staple 5, which projectsoutwardly from the attachon itself to form are adapted to pierce and beclenched or upset against the part to which the attachment member isapplied.

The vertical loop 5 is rectangular, and when the parts are locked, theattached end of the hasp member l is supported by the lower side or endof the loo-p of the staple, and the lower side of the loop 3 of the haspmember lies beneath the staple, and is adapted to prevent any directupward mo vement of the attached end of the hasp. The hasp is adapted tobe partially rotated to arrange the loop 3 in a horizontal position,which will permit the attached end of the hasp member to be moved bodilyin a vertical direction on the vertical portion of the staple to bringit Opposite a central horizontal slot 6 ofthe outwardly projectingportion or stop flange of the attachment member 4. The eye 2 of the freeor engaging end of the hasp memberis arranged in a horizontal position,when the parts are locked, and the said partial rotary movement of thehasp member changes the eye 2 from a horizontal position to a verticalposition, and thereby enables the said eye 2 to pass through a centrallyarranged vertical slot 7 of a keeper member 8. The hasp member may thenbe moved backward to the position illustrated in Fig, 2 of the drawing,and it is then adapted to swing downward to arrange the eye below thekeeper, when it may be again drawn outwardly and swung downwardly to theposition illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing. This willprevent the hasp member from coming in contact with any obj ect passingthrough a door or gate-way.

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The keeper, which consists of an angle plate or piece, is L-shaped inhorizontal sectional view, and it is composed of an inner attachmentiiange and an outwardly extending flange, which is provided with thesaid slot 7. The opening of the eye 2 of the hasp member is adapted toreceive apadlock, when it is desired to lock a gate or door. T he latchis reversible to enable it to be applied to either a right or left handgate or door, and either of the horizontal edges of the hasp andattachment members may be arranged at the top, as the horizontal andvertical slots are centrally arranged, and will occupy the same relativeposition in either of the positions of the` plates or members 4 and 8.keeper may be applied to either a door jamb or post, or to a door orgate, as may be most convenient.

It will be apparent that, as it is necessary to partially rotate thehasp member and raise the attached end, to the same plane as thehorizontal slot 6, before it can be disengaged from the keeper, it willbe impossible for an animal to unlock a door or gate. The outwardlyprojecting flange' of the attachment member serves as a stop to preventthe hasp member from being moved backward, when the elongated loop 3 isnot in alinement with the slot 6. Also the raising and settling of agate post due to the freezing and subsequent thawing of the ground willnot affect the efliciency of the latch or render the same inoperative,even should a gate and a latch post settle unevenly, as it has beenfound by experience that the gate latch will stand a raise or settlingof at least one and one half inches.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A latch comprising an attachment member provided with a vertical loopand having an opening arranged at an angle to the loop, a keeperprovided with an opening disposed at an angle to the opening of theattachment member, and a hasp member provided with an opening and linkedinto the said loop and adapted to turn on the latter and capable otmoving bodily in a vertical direction to arrange it opposite the openingof the attachment member, said hasp being also provided at its iree endwith a head adapted to pass through the opening of the keeper,

- said head engaging the latter when arranged at an angle to the openingthereof.

2. A latch comprising an attachment member provided with an opening andhaving a loop arranged at an angle to the opening, a keeper having anopening also arranged at an angle to the opening of the attachmentmember, and a hasp member provided at one end with a head adapted topass through the opening of the keeper and engage the latter, said haspmember being Also the A also provided at its other end with a looparranged in a plane intersecting that of the head and linked into theloop of the attachment member, said member being capable of turningthereon and of moving bodily in a vertical direction to arrange itopposite the opening of the attachment member.

3. A latch comprising an attachment member having a horizontal slot andprovided with a vertical loop, a keeper having a vertical slot, and ahasp member provided at one end with a head and having a loop at theother end arranged in a plane intersecting that of the head and linkedinto the said loop, whereby the hasp member is hinged to the attachmentmember, saidv hasp member being capable of a limited rotary movement andbeing slidable on the loop of the attachment member to arrange its endsin position to pass through the said openings.

4. A latch comprising an attachment member having two fianges arrangedat an angle, one of the flanges being provided with a loop and the otherflange having an opening arranged at an angle to the loop, a keeperprovided with a projecting flange and provided therein with an openingarranged at an angle to the opening of the attachment member, a haspmember provided at one end with a head for engaging the keeper andhaving an opening at the other end to receive the loo 5. A latchcomprising an member having two flanges arranged at an angle, one of theflanges being provided with a loop and the other flange having anopening arranged at an angle to the loop, a keeper having a projectingfiange and provided therein with an opening arranged at an angle to theopening of the attachment member, and a hasp member provided at one endwith an eye forming a head for engaging the keeper and adapted toreceive a padlock, the other end of the hasp member being provided withan opening receiving the said 6. A latch comprising an attachment memberhaving a projecting portion provided with an opening, a loop projectingfrom the attachment member and arranged at an angle to the said opening,a keeper, and a hasp member provided with a'n elongated loop linked intothe said loop, whereby it is hingedly and slidably connected with theattachment member, said hasp member being also provided with meansforengaging the keeper. v

7. A latch comprising an attachment member, a hasp member, and a keeper,and means for connecting the hasp member to the attachment member so asto permit a limited rotary movement, a vertical bodily movement, and alongitudinal sliding movement of the hasp member, and a stop arranged tobe engaged by the hasp member attachment IIO IIS

when the latter is in its locked position, said hasp member beingcarried out of engagement with the stop by the said movements.

8. A latch comprising an attachment member provided with a verticalloop, a keeper having an opening, a hasp member having a head at one endto pass through the opening of the keeper and linked at its other end inthe loop ofthe attachment member, whereby the said hasp member has apartial rotary movement, a limited vertical movement and a limitedlongitudinal movement, and a stop located at one end of the hasp memberwhen the latter is in its locked relation with the keeper to prevent thehasp member from moving longitudinally.

9. A latch comprising an attachment member provided with a verticalloop, a keeper having an opening, a hasp member having one of its endsto pass throughl the opening of the keeper and linked at its other endin the loop of the attachment member, whereby the hasp member has apartial rotary movement, a limited vertical movement, and a limitedlongitudinal movement, and a stop located at one endof the hasp memberwhen the latter is in its locked relation with the keeper and at thelimit of its downward movement to prevent the hasp member from movinglongitudinally.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoafliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WILSON PETTIJOHN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR DAVE) DEvoNsHrRE, CABLE LEON FRANCE.

